Message from the Chaplain

The Courage of Esther

The Bible story of Esther has great significance for Jews to this very day. The Esther event is the institution of the feast of Purim, one of the Jewish annual Holidays that celebrates their deliverance from Haman.

For us at Kinross Wolaroi, it has a different significance. For us, it is part of the Blessing sung upon our Year 12 graduates at their Graduation – which is in about 7 weeks! As a school community, we sing a blessing upon the Graduands; that they “be like Ruth and like Esther”, “deserving of praise” and “strengthened” so that they not be easily misled. So let’s remind ourselves what that means to be like Esther.

The story of Esther is not a story of God’s intervention like the rescuing of the Hebrews from Egypt. In fact, there is no mention of God anywhere in the Book of Esther.

The story is what it is: an account of the extraordinary courage of one woman of faith. Of one person who put her own life on the line for the greater good and of the consequence of one person’s act of courage.

What I love about Esther is that she is not at all like the Marvel comic superheroes that we enjoy watching on the TV. Esther was scared and uncertain. She had to prepare herself, steel herself and do it alone. She had everything to lose. In her own words: “I will go and if I perish, I perish.” Esther found the courage, no, she searched deep within herself and found the courage, to actualize her potential.

To be like Esther isn't about being a superhero or always having the courage to race into battle or to have the strength to withstand the blows of an adversary. It’s about drawing upon our courage to overcome fear and self-doubt and then push past concerns for ourselves in order to do what is right.

Esther reminds us that we can be courageous even when the task in front of us is daunting. She reminds us that we can be more; and when the world tells us to be selfish and self-serving, we know that we stand for something greater than ourselves.

Phil Worrad

Chaplain

A Speech given by Year 12 students Isabella Johnsen and Henry Carter about 'Courage'

The five key values of Kinross Wolaroi School are Courage, Respect, Inclusiveness, Resilience and Commitment. The following reflection on ‘courage’, written by Isabella Johnsen and Henry Carter (Year 12 Captains of Richards House), was delivered to the assembled School at the Secondary School Chapel on 7th August 2018.

Rosa Parks. Mahatma Gandhi. Martin Luther King, Jr. Jackie Robinson. Alice Paul…

These individuals are pivotal characters of history when talking about courage. They had the voice to speak up in situations where the outcome would be unknown. Fear often dictates our decisions, but courage changes that.

Success in life is dictated by courage. We set goals for outcomes such as being rich, owning a business, being a doctor, being a professional sports person, but when we are aspire to these things there is a barrier that is hard to break through. Courage is the essential ingredient for success. We can only accomplish these goals if we trust in our ability and have courage to pursue them.

For example, in our recent musical, High School Musical, there were multiple examples of courage. The skater boy declaring he really likes the cello, Martha the brainiac speaking out that she loves hip hop and, of course, Troy Bolton the star basketball player breaking all expectations and trusting himself to audition for the school musical.

Breaking these sorts of social expectations takes courage. Telling people they’re doing the wrong thing takes courage and it takes even more courage to tell your friends they’re doing the wrong thing, as Mr Worrad has pointed out.

Winston Churchill once stated that, “success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts”. Courage by definition is the ability to do something that frightens one; in other words, bravery. It is the ability to face fears, step out of comfort zones, and to act. Courage helps us to grow and to give, and it is available to you all.

Here are four ways to display courage everyday… were not here expecting you to move mountains or be the next Nelson Mandela, but we can try to be courageous nonetheless.

Courage means being afraid and acting anyway.
It is to stand up for what you believe. That doesn’t mean run a rampage around the school, but does mean that you to speak up when you feel it’s right. If you feel like someone isn’t behaving in a way that is fair, stand up and speak up - it takes courage to stand up to bullies and to defend your friends.
Courage is a habit.
Courage is like a muscle; you can make stronger if you exercise it regularly. Brene Brown once stated that, “Courage is…a habit, a virtue: You get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by ‘couraging’.” Courage comes from practice. For example, on the sports field, when you face a giant running at you, the skills you have gathered from practice and training allows you, without thinking, at that exact moment, to embrace and respond to the problem at hand. No one is born with courage, but your ability to be courageous in little ways everyday helps strengthen yourself and this amazing quality.
Find role models of courageous people.
When you’re trying to stretch yourself beyond your apparent limits, there’s a part of you that wonders whether it can actually be done. A role model is a constant reminder that the answer is ‘yes’, and that to be courageous and to step out of your comfort zone, is definitely possible. The leaders I mentioned before are amazing, but there are also people at school and at home who are courageous people. Learn from them.
Take a step outside of your comfort zone every once in a while.
Sometimes we get stuck in our comfort zones, and we then lack the courage to live a fulfilled life. Courage is the scaffolding that supports us as we build our lives. Sometimes you need the courage to say ‘yes’ to new opportunities. We hate to drop in a cheesy quote but, “life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. It is a beneficial thing to be courageous, to you as an individual, and to the wider community.

We really hope that this speech on ‘courage’ helps to inspire you to be more courageous men and women in the broader society. We hate to leave you with another cheesy quote but, remember that “courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying I will try again tomorrow.”

Isabella Johnsen and Henry Carter